Guidance for environmental permit applications: Part B6.5 – Discharging treated domestic sewage effluent up to 15 cubic meters (15m³) a day into ground or up to 20 cubic meters a day to surface water

Please read these guidance notes carefully before you fill in the forms. All relevant guidance documents can be found on our website. This guidance will help you complete part B6.5 of the application form pack.

Where you see the term ‘document reference’ on the form, give the document references and send the documents with the application form when you’ve completed it. If you submit documents that are not required, please note that they are not assessed.

How to contact us: If you need help filling in this form, please contact the person who sent it to you or contact us by: General phone enquiries: 0300 065 3000 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm). Email: enquiries@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk / ymholiadau@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk Website: www.naturalresources.wales / www.cyfoethnaturiol.cymru

Where to send your application: You can send your application by email or in the post. We can process applications more quickly, if we receive them by email (electronically). Send your completed application form to: Email: permitreceiptcentre@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk / canolfanderbyntrwyddedau@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk Post: Permit Receipt Centre, Natural Resources Wales, Cambria House, 29 Newport Road, Cardiff, CF24 0TP Canolfan Derbyn Trwyddedau, Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru, Ty Cambria, 29 Heol Casnewydd, Caerdydd, CF24 0TP

Please send 1 electronic or CD/memory stick and 1 paper copy, OR 2 paper copies.

Contents 1 About you 2 About this application 3 Your management system 4 Your site plan 5 About your discharge 6 More information from you 7 Payment 8 The Data Protection Act 1998 9 Confidentiality and national security 10 Declaration Appendix 1 – Discharges into land (drainage field) Appendix 2 – Discharges to tidal river, estuary or coastal waters Appendix 3 – Discharges to a lake or pond Appendix 4 – Discharges onto land Appendix 5 – Discharges to well or borehole

What am I applying for?

You are applying for an environmental permit to discharge sewage effluent of 20 cubic metres a day or less to a surface water (water discharge activity) or 15 cubic metres a day to ground (groundwater activity).

NOTE: Before filling in this form you should check that you need an environmental permit for your activities rather than an exemption.

If you want to discharge treated sewage effluent to a river, stream, estuary or the sea and the volume is 5 cubic metres per day or less you might be eligible for an exemption rather than a permit.

If you want to discharge sewage effluent to groundwater via a drainage field or infiltration system and the volume is 2 cubic metres per day or less you might be eligible for an exemption rather than a permit.

Whilst most householders with a sewage effluent discharge will be able to register for an exemption, we may not be able to accept a registration if the discharge is close to a nature conservation area. You will not be able to register a discharge to groundwater if it falls within a groundwater Source Protection Zone 1. We will check for this when you apply to register.

If we can’t accept the registration for any reason then we will write to suggest you apply for a permit using this form B6.5. Which form(s) do I have to complete? You only need to fill in one form for each discharge you are applying for.

Application checklist This is what you will need to send in addition to your application form.

| Question reference | Details of document | |--------------------|---------------------| | 1b | Details of additional individuals if more than one person is going to be named on the permit | | 2a | Details of any pre-application discussions with us before your application | | 4 | Site plan for your sewage treatment facility | | 5c | Explanation as to why you cannot discharge your effluent to a sewer if the boundary of any premises served by the sewage treatment facility is within 30m of a sewer. You must show the extra cost of connecting to a sewer compared to the treatment you propose, and the sewerage undertaker’s formal response regarding connection | | 5d | Calculations to show the maximum volume of effluent you will discharge in a day (if there is not enough space on the form) | | 5e | Design details of ‘other’ treatment systems (if there is not enough space on the form) | | 6 | Any other factors that we need to take into account as part of your application | | 7 | Application fee | | 9 | If applicable, a letter giving reasons why you wish to claim confidentiality | | 10 | Additional declarations if more than one person is going to be named on the permit |

Definition of domestic sewage effluent

Sewage must be solely domestic in origin and contain no trade effluent (as defined in Section 221 of the Water Resources Act 1991).

For the purpose of this guidance, ‘domestic sewage’ means sewage from residential settlements and services that originates predominantly from human metabolism and from household activities. This includes waste water from cooking, washing up and clothes washing at guest houses, hotels, pubs and restaurants where these relate solely to activities on those premises. For instance, sewage from a guest house preparing meals for its guests and washing its own bedding qualifies as ‘domestic sewage’. Waste water from a site preparing food for consumption elsewhere, or washing bedding on behalf of another person does not qualify as ‘domestic sewage’.

1 About you

1a What type of applicant are you?

Fill in the details of each applicant. We can only issue permits to named individuals. If more than one individual will be named on the permit, the details for each additional individual required by 1b and the address required by 1c must be provided on a separate sheet. Please tell us the document reference you have given this sheet in the space provided.

An organisation of individuals

Fill in the details of the type of organisation and any trading name.

We can only issue permits to named individuals. We cannot issue a permit to a partnership. We therefore need details of each person in the partnership.

An organisation of individuals includes a group of individuals that together hold a water discharge activity or groundwater activity environmental permit (previously known as a discharge consent).

Limited Liability Partnerships – do not fill in this section, you must fill in the company section instead.

You then need to go to section 1c on the form.

A company

Give us the company registration number and date your company was registered.

Unregistered corporate bodies If you are an unregistered corporate body, you will need to give us evidence that you are a legal body and we can issue a permit to you.

You then need to go to section 1c on the form.

1g Your address

All applicants must give us this.

We can only issue permits to named individuals. We cannot issue a permit to a partnership. We therefore need details of each person in the partnership.

If necessary, use a separate sheet to give us the details of additional applicants and tell us the document reference number you have given it in the space provided on the form.

If you are applying as a limited company, give the address of the registered office.

If you are applying as a company, the email address given should be that of the company secretary as this is the one we will use to email a copy of the permit and any associated information or notices connected to the permit.

You then need to go to section 1d on the form.

1h Agent or others acting on behalf of the applicant

It will help us if there is someone we can contact if we have any questions about your application. If you do not name anyone here we will contact whoever is named in answer to 1b to 1h. The person you name should have the authority to act on your behalf. They can be an agent rather than you but only the applicant or applicants named in 1b are able to sign the declaration in part 10.

You then need to go to section 2 on the form.

2 About this application

2a Have you spoken to us about this application?

If you have had discussions with us before your application was submitted give details on a separate sheet and tell us the reference number you have given it. We will then be able to refer back to the information you’ve already given us and discussions we have had with you, which will help us to determine your application.

You can get further guidance on pre-application discussion by calling 0300 065 3000 or by downloading it from our guidance webpages.

2b Where is the sewage treatment facility? (name, address, postcode and national grid reference)

What is a sewage treatment facility?

The sewage treatment facility is the water discharge activity or groundwater activity and includes all the equipment essential to undertake that activity. The facility is the footprint of that equipment, the discharge pipe and outlet. For discharges to ground, the area occupied by the drainage field will also be part of the facility.

In many cases, the discharge to water or ground will be made outside the physical boundary of the treatment site. We want you to provide the address of the sewage treatment plant or septic tank in answer to question 2b.

What is a sewage treatment plant?

Often called ‘package’ plants, these sewage treatment plants are like mini sewage works and produce much cleaner effluent than septic tanks. For this reason, effluent from package treatment plants can normally be discharged to surface waters such as rivers or streams. Package treatment plants are more sophisticated than septic tanks and require a source of power as well as regular maintenance. They also accumulate solid matter (sludge) that is settled out from the sewage and require desludging about once every year.

What is a septic tank?

A septic tank is a simple tank that is usually buried in the ground; it has an inflow of sewage from the house and an outflow from the tank. The septic tank allows solid matter to settle in the tank and liquids to flow out. The outflow from the septic tank requires further treatment and this is normally achieved by it soaking into the ground, where bacteria in the soil complete the treatment process. Normal maintenance for a septic tank would be removal of the accumulated solid matter (sludge) from the bottom of the tank. This is known as desludging and is usually required about once every year. If you have a septic tank that discharges directly to surface water, you will need to apply for a permit to make the discharge but if granted, this will almost certainly require you to upgrade to a treatment plant. We will usually allow up to 12 months to complete an upgrade, although this depends on individual circumstances.

2c National Grid Reference for the centre of your sewage treatment facility

We want you to provide the 12-character national grid reference consisting of two letters followed by 10 numbers (for example AB 12345 67890) of the centre of the sewage treatment plant or septic tank in answer to question 2c. To find out the 12-digit grid reference, you can search on the UK Grid Reference Finder website, which you can be accessed via our website.

2d What type of activity are you applying for?

Tell us what type of activity you are applying for by ticking one box. The Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010 talk about discharges of sewage effluent to surface waters (a water discharge activity) or to ground (a groundwater activity). This application is for either a water discharge activity permit or a groundwater activity permit.

You then need to go to section 3 on the form.

3 Your management system

Your permit requires you (as the operator) to ensure that you manage and operate your activities in accordance with a written management system.

You must have an effective, written management system in place that identifies and reduces the risk of pollution. A copy of the management system and the permit should be kept where it is easily accessible.

If you are applying to operate a small sewage treatment facility there are toolkits available to help you decide what factors you need to consider in your management system and what actions you may need to carry out and record. You can get them by calling 0300 065 3000 or by downloading them from our guidance webpages.

If you ticked the water discharge activity box in question 2d use the toolkit below:

Management toolkit for operators holding a standalone permit for the discharge of up to 20 cubic metres per day of secondary treated sewage effluent to surface waters.

If you ticked the groundwater activity box in question 2d use the toolkit below:

Management toolkit for operators holding a standalone permit for the discharge of up to 20 cubic metres per day of sewage effluent via an infiltration system to groundwater.

The following is a summary of the main points you will find in the toolkits:

For all operators

If your sewage treatment facility is operating normally or not and which routine checks you may have to make, for example, is the power on, is the motor running?

Do you know how to restart the system if there is a power or other failure? The supplier of the system or maintenance contractor should be able to advise on checks specific to the plant in question. These checks should be made and recorded as necessary.

Do you have a service and maintenance contract in place with a contractor who is trained and competent to maintain and service your particular treatment plant? Service frequency should be in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Sewage treatment plants require periodic de-sludging and you should have a contract in place to undertake this when required.

Keep a record of the checks you have completed that are set out in your checklist along with any additional checks you have made. This could be recorded in a diary or alternatively you could adapt the form provided in the toolkits referred to above to create a record sheet.

If you have a maintenance contract with a contractor, keep a record of any work carried out on your treatment plant by them. If invoices state the work carried out these will be sufficient.

You need to understand what your treatment plant is designed to do, what its limitations are and the restrictions on its use (for example, chemicals which may prevent it from working properly). Anyone who inspects, maintains or repairs the system must be adequately trained and competent to do so.

You should be aware of accidents or emergencies that may adversely affect the performance of your treatment plant and be aware of how to deal with them, this may involve contacting your supplier or maintenance engineer depending on the extent of the problem. You will also need to record any complaints made to you in connection with the operation of your facility.

**For a group of domestic residential properties with a permit to discharge**

If the treatment plant is shared with others (for example multiple houses) you are all jointly responsible for the proper operation of the plant, but you only need one management system.

You should designate at least one person to have the knowledge required to ensure that the plant is being effectively operated and maintained.

If you have a contract with a manufacturer or service company to maintain your treatment plant then you need to record this.

**For an establishment such as a hotel, pub or campsite**

You and/or your staff will need to be able to have the necessary skills to ensure the sewage treatment facility is effectively operated and maintained. However you may employ a contractor to undertake some of these tasks.

Tick the box to confirm that your management system will meet our requirements.

You then need to go to section 4 on the form.

**4 Your site plan**

For water discharge activity permits your site plan must show the sewage treatment facility (the sewage treatment plant, the outlet pipe and outlet location but not the properties served by the facility). The sewage treatment plant should be shown edged in green and the outlet pipe can be shown as a green line.

For groundwater activity permits your site plan must show the sewage treatment facility/septic tank and the area of the drainage field or borehole or well or other deep structure used to discharge the effluent to ground, and the pipework connecting them (but not the properties served by the facility). The sewage treatment plant/septic tank should be shown edged in green as should the drainage field which should be shown as well and as accurately as available records allow.

The outlets to watercourse or to borehole or well or other deep structure should also be clearly marked on the plan, as should any sample point identified in answer to 5f.

The properties served by the facility are not part of the facility and do not have to be shown edged in green.

If you are sending us a paper copy of your site plan it must be either A3 or A4 size. Alternatively you can send us an electronic copy via email or on CD.

**Copyright issue**

Please note that some plans and maps will have copyright issues. Unless you are using your own maps or plans or have paid for the copyright (for example with Ordnance Survey) you may not have the right to reproduce the map or plan.

You then need to go to section 5 on the form.

**5 About the discharge/effluent**

**5a** Tell us what type of premises your sewage treatment facility serves. If it is more than one domestic property, the number of properties, for example, three houses or three flats.

**5b** We will not grant a permit to discharge sewage effluent to surface water or to ground if we consider that you could have reasonably connected to a foul sewer provided by your sewerage undertaker (water company) or a private sewer connected to a foul sewer. You will need to check sewer records with your sewerage undertaker (usually your local water company) and also check to see if a connection is feasible to any private sewers if a foul sewer is not readily available.

This question requires you to measure the shortest distance between any boundary of premises served by the sewage treatment facility and the nearest foul sewer and/or private sewer.

**5c You must explain why you cannot discharge your effluent into a sewer.**

Where you are proposing a discharge from a private sewage treatment system in an area where it appears reasonable to discharge your effluent into a sewer, you must, as a minimum, send us evidence that you have approached the sewerage undertaker, and send us their formal response regarding connection under s98 or s106 of the Water Industry Act 1991. You must send us this evidence with your application.

Lack of capacity, or the existence of any plans to improve capacity, in the sewer are not valid reasons for a sewerage undertaker to refuse connection under section 106 WIA 1991. Where a sewerage undertaker refuses to allow connection under s106 on the grounds of lack of capacity the operator may appeal to Ofwat. We may refuse to issue a water discharge activity or groundwater activity permit in such circumstances.

For new discharges you must also show the difference in cost between connection to the foul sewer and cost of purchase and installation of your proposed treatment facility. This should include, but not be limited to, details of:

**Foul sewer connection costs**

- Sewer pipe;
- Pumping equipment, pump and sump pump, if necessary;
- Digging up of roadside verges, roads or land on the route to the sewer;
- Road closure costs, if necessary;
- Legal easements to cross land, if necessary;
- Initial connection and annual charges from the sewerage undertaker.

**Proposed treatment facility costs**

- Purchase;
- Installation;
- Maintenance;
- Annual Environment Agency subsistence fees (subsistence fees do not apply to discharges of treated domestic sewage effluent of five cubic metres (m³) or less a day).

Your justification must also include details of any physical obstacles: for example, roads, railways, rivers or canals, impeding your connection to a sewer.

If you are applying for an existing discharge you may give this as a reason for not connecting to a nearby sewer but you must provide the date the sewage treatment facility was installed as accurately as you can.

You can find additional guidance on connection to sewers in ‘Technical Guidance Note 7.01 How to comply with your environmental permit and additional technical guidance for water discharge and groundwater (point source discharge) activities’. You can get this by calling 0300 065 3000 or by downloading it from our guidance webpages.

**5d** This is the maximum volume that will be discharged in any day. You must ensure that you choose a volume you can always comply with.

You need to know whether your discharge is within the permitted maximum daily volume.

How to calculate the maximum daily discharge from a single domestic property.

| Number of bedrooms in your house | Daily Volume (cubic metres per day) | |----------------------------------|-------------------------------------| | 1 to 3 | 1 | | 4 to 6 | 1.5 | | 7 to 8 | 2 |

How to calculate the maximum daily discharge volume from multiple domestic properties – summary from ‘Flows and Loads 3’ Flows and Loads 4 – Sizing Criteria, Treatment Capacity for Small Wastewater Treatment Systems (Package Plants)’ is published by British Water (ISBN: 978-1-903481-10-3) and is available from British Water on their website.

To calculate the maximum daily volume to be discharged from your sewage treatment facility you must first calculate the population (P) connected to the facility and then multiply this figure by 150 litres which is the standard residential daily flow. The volume you have calculated by this method will be in litres a day so you must then divide this figure by 1000 to show the volume in cubic metres a day.

The maximum daily discharge volume in cubic metres a day = ( P \\times 150/1000 ).”

A single house with up to and including 3 bedrooms will have a population (P) of 5 people (5 P).

For a single house with more than 3 bedrooms, add 1 P for each additional bedroom to the minimum single house value of 5 P, for example:

a house with 3 bedrooms P = 5 a house with 4 bedrooms $P = 6$ (5+1) a house with 6 bedrooms $P = 8$ (5+3)

For groups of small 1 and 2 bedroom houses or flats: a flat with 1 bedroom $P = 3$ a flat with 2 bedrooms $P = 4$

For sewage treatment facilities serving more than one house calculate the total $P$ by adding together the $P$ values for each individual house, for example:

for two houses (one 3 bedrooms and one 4 bedrooms) the total $P = 11$ (5+6)

If the calculated total $P$ for a group of houses exceeds 12 $P$ then some reduction may be made to allow for the balancing effects on daily flow of a group of houses (round up not down).

Where the total $P$ is in the range 13–25 multiply the total by 0.9 to give an adjusted $P$ value, for example:

if there are four four-bedroom houses the total $P$ will be 24 (4 × 6) and the adjusted $P$ will be 22 (24 × 0.9 = 21.6)

Where the total $P$ is in the range 26–50 multiply the total by 0.8 to give an adjusted $P$ value, for example:

if there are four three-bedroom houses and three four-bedroom houses the total $P$ will be 38 (4 × 5 and 3 × 6) and the adjusted $P$ will be 31 (38 × 0.8 = 30.4)

The above assessments of population ($P$) should be used for both existing and new properties.

Larger luxurious houses tend to have higher water consumption figures and holiday homes may have higher occupancy rates than residential properties.

5e Tick one box to show what sewage treatment plant you will be using to treat your effluent. If you tick ‘other’ please give us more details about the system in the box provided or on a separate sheet. If you have a package sewage treatment plant, the plant manufacturer or supplier and/or documentation explaining the plant and its maintenance requirements should enable you to identify if it meets BS12566.

If you have a sewage treatment plant which is not to BS12566 or a septic tank, you must describe the treatment plant as best you can. For a new treatment plant, the supplier or manufacturer should be able to provide details. For existing systems you may only be able to say that the treatment plant is made up of a settlement tank followed by a filter bed followed by another settlement tank for example.

5f This is the sample point used to assess compliance with any water quality emission limits on your permit. You must ensure that it allows a representative sample of the discharge to be obtained. You must also ensure that your discharge passes through the sampling point at all times. The sample point can be where the effluent meets the receiving environment only in cases where no other effluent is added before this point, for example a discharge from another sewage treatment plant or a discharge of surface water drainage.

Note for small existing discharges to ground only

If you are applying for a permit for an existing discharge of treated sewage effluent of not more than 5 cubic metres a day to ground (for example using a drainage field) which does not already have a sample point we will not expect you to provide one.

5g Sewage effluents are usually discharged to one location in one receiving environment.

However, in the unlikely event that your effluent can be discharged to more than one location within a single receiving environment, for example two different discharge points on a river, you should speak to us because you will need to complete the appropriate appendix and ensure you give all relevant details of every discharge point that the effluent can be discharged through. To do this you will need to complete a relevant appendix for each separate discharge point for an effluent and explain any different circumstances under which each is discharged.

If your effluent discharges to more than one location in a different receiving environment, for example to a borehole or to a non-tidal river (under different circumstance), you will need to complete all relevant appendices for each discharge point and explain the different circumstances under which each is discharged.

Complete all questions in section 5h if you are discharging to a River, stream, ditch or canal (non-tidal watercourse). Fill in the relevant appendix for each effluent discharged. Everyone must then to go to section 6 on the form. You need to make sure that you have all the necessary permissions in addition to an Environmental Permit to discharge, for example the permission from landowners for pipework to cross their land or the Canal and Rivers Trust if you want to discharge into a canal that they manage.

Everyone must then complete section 6 of the form.

5h River, stream, ditch or canal (non-tidal watercourse)

If you are discharging to a river, stream, ditch or canal, you must answer questions A1.1 to A1.6

5h1 This is the location where the discharge is made from the outlet pipe to the river, stream, ditch or canal. On some occasions discharges are made via surface water sewers owned by someone else before they discharge into a receiving water. Where this is the case the outlet will be the point where the surface water sewer meets the river, stream, ditch or canal.

5h2 The name will usually be shown on an Ordnance Survey map. If the receiving water is unnamed, please indicate the named watercourse into which it flows, for example ‘a tributary of the River Thames’.

5h3 Tick the appropriate box.

5h4 We prefer effluent to discharge to watercourses which flow all year. Discharging to a dry watercourse may cause the effluent to pond which can cause odour and other local problems.

5h5 Most effluents pass along a dedicated pipe and are discharged via an outlet to a receiving water. In some cases effluents may be discharged into a surface water sewer owned by someone else before they discharge into a receiving water.

5h6 If you have ticked yes in answer to question 1.5 you must give the grid reference where your discharge enters the surface water sewer.

6 Further information from you

Please provide any further information that you feel is necessary for your application. For example, is there any relevant information about your sewage treatment facility we have not asked for anywhere else on the form which you want us to consider?

You then need to go to section 7 on the form.

7 Payment

7c Give a date when you want the permit for this effluent to start.

You cannot discharge your effluent prior to the start date on your permit unless you contact us and ask us to change (bring forward) your start date. Charges will start on this date, even if you have not started to discharge, unless you contact us to change (delay) the start date. Please use the Administrative Variation application form (part C0.5) for this, for which there is no fee.

7g Select the method you will be using to pay for your application:

Cheques and postal orders: These should be made payable to Natural Resources Wales and crossed ‘A/c Payee’. Send it to us with your completed application form and any relevant supporting documents.

Post-dated cheques will not be accepted.

Note: cheques will be processed once the application is confirmed as duly made, this will normally be within 10 working days unless information is missing.

We do not recommend sending cash through the post. If you cannot avoid this, please use a recorded-delivery postal service and enclose details of the name of your company and a reference number (this can be the customer reference, permit reference or an application reference generated at pre-application stage) or your name, address and postcode.

Payment by credit or debit card: We can accept payments by Visa, MasterCard or Maestro cards only. Please complete the required details in the separate form CC1.

Payment by electronic transfer: Make sure you use the right payment information, depending on whether your application is being made in England or Wales.

Failure to quote your reference number (this can be the customer reference, permit reference or an application reference generated at pre-application stage) or to forward to us your payment details, including applicant name, payment amount and full payment reference number, may result in a delay in processing your payment and therefore your application. Information on charges We consult widely on changes to our charging schemes and tariffs. These require government approval before being implemented. You can get further information about the bases of our charges, our consultation processes and any current or recent consultations from our website. You then need to read section 8 on the form.

8 The Data Protection Act 1998 Make sure you understand how we will use the information you provide to us. You then need to read section 9 on the form.

9 Confidentiality and national security Confidentiality Only tick this box if you are very certain that you wish information to be confidential. This is likely to delay your application. Confidential information is information that is commercially or industrially confidential in relation to any person. Information may only be withheld from the public registers where the regulator judges that it may be commercially or industrially confidential. When this occurs a statement must be placed on the register indicating the existence of that information. Confidentiality is unlikely to be applicable for a small-scale sewage discharge except for information about ex-directory telephone numbers. In those cases please write to tell us that information should not go on the public register. You can find guidance on confidentiality in ‘Core environmental permitting guidance’ published by Defra and available from our Guidance webpages. Please ensure that you include a copy of your supporting statement detailing why you are requesting confidentiality and what information you believe should be kept confidential. We advise you to have a pre-application discussion with area staff before deciding if anything is confidential information. We will have to assess your statement and therefore your application will take longer to determine.

National security Ensure you enclose with the application a letter stating that you have written to the Welsh ministers to claim national security for your application. You can find guidance on national security in ‘Core environmental permitting guidance’ published by Defra and available from our guidance webpages. You cannot apply for national security via this application. We will not be able to progress your application until we receive the decision from the Welsh ministers and therefore it is highly likely to delay your application. We will not include the information in the public register unless the Welsh ministers decides that it should be included. You then need to go to section 10 on the form.

10 Declaration Each individual who is applying for their name to appear on the permit must complete this declaration, you will have to print a separate copy of each page for each additional individual to complete. Ensure a relevant person makes the declaration. Relevant people means each applicant (individual), and in the case of a company, a director, manager, company secretary or any similar officer or employee listed on current appointments in Companies House. In the case of a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), it includes any partner. Each individual (or individual trustee) who is applying for their name to appear on the permit must complete this declaration, you will have to fill in a separate copy of this page for each additional individual to complete. You do not have to sign the application with your handwritten signature. By ticking the box in part 9 and providing your details below it you are confirming that you are an applicant and that the information in the application is true to the best of your knowledge and belief. Also that you understand that the application may be refused or approval withdrawn if you give false or incomplete information.

If you deliberately make a statement that is false or misleading in order to get approval you may be prosecuted.

Appendix 1 – Discharges into land

1 This is the location where the effluent from the treatment system enters the infiltration system.

2 An infiltration system is a restricted and well-defined area of ground designed to allow liquid to drain into the surrounding soil. It typically includes a system of sub-surface perforated pipe. We would expect any new infiltration system to be built to BS 6297:2007 + A1:2008.

2 Give the date your infiltration system was installed as accurately as you can.

If you are applying for a newly installed or proposed infiltration system you must answer question 3.

You should always try and answer questions 3 to 8, if you’re able.

3 We would expect new infiltration systems to be built to BS 6297:2007 + A1:2008. If yours is not constructed to this standard, you must submit the following details:

- location of the infiltration system
- surface area
- depth
- construction materials used
- the bottom invert level in relation to the water table.

5 It is important that we know what your percolation value (Vp) is. BS 6297:2007 +A1:2008 states that ‘a drainage field for disposal should only be used when percolation tests indicate average values of Vp between 15 and 100’. The minimum value of 15 ensures that effluent cannot percolate too rapidly into the ground, potentially resulting in the pollution of groundwater. If your Vp is below this figure you may be required to add an additional 700mm deep layer of medium or coarse, washed sand, laid on a permeable geotextile membrane, below the standard granular fill distribution layer. You will have to agree to design your drainage field on the basis of this recommendation.

Use the following information to help you carry out a percolation test (applies to new infiltration systems only):

Avoid carrying out this test in extreme weather conditions such as drought, frost and heavy rain.

a) Excavate at least two holes 300mm square to a depth 300mm below the proposed invert level (bottom of pipe) of the infiltration pipe and space them evenly along the proposed line of the subsurface irrigation system.

b) Fill each hole with water to a depth of at least 300mm and allow to seep away overnight.

c) Next day, refill each hole with water to a depth of at least 300mm and observe the time in seconds for the water to seep away from 75% full to 25% full (i.e. a depth of 150mm).

d) Divide this time by 150. This answer gives the average time in seconds (Vp) required for the water to drop 1mm.

e) The test should be carried out at least three times with at least two trial holes. The average figure from the tests should be taken.

This is the percolation value Vp (in seconds).

f) The average figure for the percolation value (Vp) is obtained by summing all the values and dividing by the number of values used.

g) Drainage field disposals should only be used when percolation tests indicate average values of Vp between 15 and 100 and the preliminary assessment of the trial hole tests has been favourable.

h) The minimum value of 15 ensures that untreated effluent cannot percolate too rapidly into groundwater.

i) Where Vp is above the limit of 100, effective treatment is unlikely to take place in a drainage field as there will be inefficient soakage in this location which may lead to sewage ponding on the surface.

j) For domestic premises, the floor area of the drainage field (A in square metres) required may be calculated from:

[ A = p \\times Vp \\times 0.25 ] for septic tanks A = p × Vp × 0.20 for package sewage treatment plants where p is the number of people served by the tank (this should be the maximum number of people that could live in the house).

Vp is the percolation value described above.

If in doubt, consult your professional advisor or local authority building control officer for advice.

6 Use the following calculations:

For sewage treatment plant:

Vp (percolation value) × P(number of inhabitants) × 0.2 = surface area

For septic tank:

Vp (percolation value) × P(number of inhabitants) × 0.25 = surface area

Appendix 2 – Discharges to tidal river, tidal stream, estuary or coastal waters

1 This is the location where the effluent exits the effluent carrier pipe into the river channel, estuary or coastal waters. On occasion discharges are made via surface water sewers. In this case the outlet will be the point where the surface water sewer meets the river channel, estuary or coastal water.

2 Usually the name will be shown on an Ordnance Survey map. If the receiving water is unnamed, please indicate the named watercourse into which it flows; for example, ‘a tributary of the River Thames’.

3 Tick the appropriate box.

4 The mean low water spring tide mark for coastal waters and tidal estuaries can usually be found on Ordnance Survey maps. Where reasonably possible, we prefer that discharges are made below this point to prevent effluent flowing across beaches, exposed river beds or mud flats and so on.

5 Most effluents pass along a dedicated pipe and are discharged via an outlet to a receiving water. In some cases effluents may be discharged into a surface water sewer owned by someone else before they discharge into a receiving water. If this is the case you must give the grid reference where your discharge enters the surface water sewer.

6 If you have ticked yes in answer to question 1.5 you must give the grid reference where your discharge enters the surface water sewer.

Appendix 3 – Discharges to a lake or pond

Use this appendix when you will be discharging your effluent into an existing lake or pond.

A discharge to a lake or pond which does not discharge into a river or watercourse or another pond which discharges into a river or watercourse does not require a permit unless a Notice has been served under paragraph 5 of Schedule 21 of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010. If you are unsure whether or not you will require a permit for a discharge to a pond or lake you should contact us on 0300 065 3000.

1 This is the location where the effluent pipe reaches the lake or pond.

2 Usually the name will be shown on an Ordnance Survey map.

3 Put a tick in the box to confirm which type of lake or pond you are applying to discharge to. If your pond has an outfall to a watercourse (river or stream or ditch) or to another pond which has an outfall to a watercourse (river or stream or ditch) then tick the bottom option and answer the questions below it as best as you can.

If your discharge goes to a pond which does not have an outlet then you should speak to us to see if your sewage treatment facility requires a permit.

4 to 6 If you do not know the answer to this question, put ‘Unknown’.

Appendix 4 – Discharges onto land

Use this appendix where you are using a constructed disposal area to discharge your effluent onto land.

1 This is the location where effluent from the treatment system enters the disposal area.

3 This is the total area covered by the reed bed/grass plot/pond/wetland.

Appendix 5 – Discharges to a borehole or well or other deep structure

Note: reference here to ‘other deep structure’ is intended to encompass any other conduit deep into the ground such as a former mineshaft or natural features such as swallow holes. Along with boreholes and wells they would typically concentrate the discharge in one place rather than being spread evenly at a shallow level in the manner of an engineered drainage system. They pose a higher risk of groundwater pollution and so we may ask you to provide additional justification for using such means of disposal.

Please provide as much information as possible to help us assess your application.

1 This is the location where the effluent pipe enters the well or borehole or other structure.

3 This is the distance from ground level (or other reference level) down to the maximum depth in your well or borehole or other structure that is sealed out by linings or casings. This information would normally be included in drilling records. If there is no seal enter a zero. If you enter ‘unknown’ we will assume that the discharge is being made throughout the whole of the depth which may affect your application.

5 It is very important that you tell us if the well, borehole or other structure extends permanently or intermittently into the water table. If you cannot answer this question we may need to assume it does, which may affect your application.

6 This is the distance from ground or other reference level to the highest level that the surface of the water reaches in the well or borehole.